Door-opening mechanism



P... A. 0SHANYK. DOOR OPENING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24- 1921- v Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

abfoinug UNITED STATES Specification of Letters Patent.

PETER A. OSHANYK, OF WIL'I'ON, NORTH DAKOTA,

noon-ornmne MECHANISM.

Patented. Mar. '7, 1922.

Application filed January 24, 1921. Serial No. 439,627.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER A. OsrrANrK, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Wilton, county of Burleigh and State of North Dakota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-OpeningMechanisms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description of the invention such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it up pertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in door opening mechanisms, andhas for an object to provide a mechanism of such character, particularlyadaptable for the opening of the sliding doors of garages and likestructures, whereby when a vehicle is to be driven into a garage soequipped and is in proximity to the doors thereof, these doors will becaused to automatically open and then close subsequently to entrance ofthe vehicle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of, thecharacter mentioned including a novel and simple arrangement of leversfor transmitting the initial motion imparted to the doors in such amanner as to slide said doors in opposite directions to their respectiveopen positions, and later returning them to their normal ar' rangement,and during such return, elfecting the sliding of the doors to theirrespective closed positions.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed outhereinafter.

In order that the invention and its mode of operation may be readilyunderstood by persons skilled in the art, I have in the accompanyingdrawings and in the following detailed description thereof, set out oneembodiment of the same.

In these drawings,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a garage,

the sliding doors of which are equipped with my improved door-openingmechanism. a part of the doors and housing structure being broken awayand shown in section;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical, section taken on the line 22 ofFigure 1;

Figure 3is a horizontal section taken on the line 33 of Figure 1; and

Figure 1 is a reduced fragmentary detail in section showing the relativearrangement of the levers of the opening mechanism when in actuatedpositions.

Having more particular reference to the drawings in connection withwhich like characters of reference will designate corresponding partsthroughoutthe several views, 1 represents a garage equipped with a pairof oppositely disposed ,slidable doors 2. F lushly arranged in a pit orpocket formed partly within the garage and partly without the same, is asubstantiallyrectangular housing 3 which serves as means for receivingthe various levers of my improved dooropenmg mechanism, and also asmeans for recelvlng in the open upper end thereof, a pair ofoppositelyinclined platforms designated by the reference charactersi and4:. In this connection, it is to be noted that stops or rests 5 aresecured to the inner sides of the opposite end walls of the housing 1',and receive thereon, at times, adjacent portions of the platforms 1 and1-, the remaining extremities of these platforms being received on theopposite sides of the track 6 arranged in the housing and disposedtransversely thereof intermediate said end walls; this arrangementbeingclearly shown in the Figure 4:. In addition to affording means forreceiving the adjacent extremities of the several platforms 4 and a, thetrack 6, obviously, also affords means for receiving the roller bearings7 of the several slidahle doors 2,.in order that the same may be freelymoved.

Positioned on the bottom of the housing 3 and disposed transversely ofthe same directly beneath the transverse track 6,,isa bar 8 having itsopposite ends curved upwardly as at 9 and provided with bracketed.extremities 10 which are attached tothe door frame structure 11 of thegarage 1, and. thus serve to brace the same as well; as the body portionof the bar and its curved extremities 9. Pintles 12 are secured to and.extend laterally from the upper sides of each of the curved ends 9, andserve to pix-iotally mount operating lovers 13 on the bar 8 at distancessufficiently above the same to permit of free pivotal movement of saidlovers. The lower portions of each. of theselevers 13 are reverselycurved as at 14 and provided with inturned slotted extensions 15, whichin turn have loose pivotal connection with bell crank levers 16 mountedon brackets 17 in the bot- A maintain said levers, together with thelevers 2 I incense 13, in their respective closed or initial peel--tions.

As means for transmitting the necessary motion to the operating levers13 whereby to effect sliding of the particular doors 2 connectedthereto, to open and closed positions, levers 19 and 19 are pivoted tothe under sides of the several platforms 4 and l-V, preferably at pointsin proximity to the outer marginal portions thereof, as shown in theFigures 2 and 4-, said levers being 1nounted, in suitable hearings onbrackets 20 so cured to adjacent portions of the housing 3, while thehereinbeitore mentioned pivotal connection of the same with theplatforms at and. at effected through the medium oit transverse bars 21extending across the under sides of the platforms 4; and t in pro imit-yto the outer marginal portions thereo't; there being levers 19 and 19pivotally connected to the opposite extremities of each of said bars, asshown in the Figure 3. The inner ends of the levers 19 and 19 areslotted and have loose pivotal connection as at 22, while other levers23 are pivotally connected at 241; to the lovers 19 and 19" and havemounting in brackets 25, also secured to adjacent portions of thehousing 3, the remaining ends of said levers 28 being pivoted to theopposite extremities of arms secured to and extendingtransversely to theunder sides of the platforms land 4: in a manner co1'res] )onding to thearrangement of the bars 21.

In order to brace thesidc portions of the housing 3, and to render thesame s'utliciently rigid to withstand stress imparted thereto by passageof vehicles into and out of the garage so equipped, I may and preferablydo arrange diagonal braces 27 longitudinally of the housing and inproximity to said opposite sides, offsetting the extremities of the sameand securing them as at 28 to adjacent portions of said housing sides,.

while the intermediate portions are secured at 29 to parts of thetransverse bar 8.

The operation of my improved door-opening mechanism may he described'astollows: A vehicle to be driven into or housed by the garage l isdirected onto the front plat- Form 4, whereupon the weigliit of saidvchicle will effect downward movenicnt ot' the flat-form t, which inturn will force the outer ends of the levers l9 downwardly and the innerend upwardly; By reason of the upward movement of the inner ends ofthese levers 19', contact between the same and the inwardly extendingends 15 oi the operating levers 13 will he ell'ected and a resultantforward thrust imported locach of the same Because of the tact that thelevers 13 have )ivotal mounting on the curved ends 9 of t e bar 8, itwill be appreciated that such upward thrusts will cause the remainingends thereof to be swung outweirdly, and since these remaining ends havepivotal connection as at with their respective doors 2,said doors willbe immedi ately slid in opposite directions to their open positions. Thevehicle upon entering the garage 1 will travel over the remainingplatform t, and by consequence, will cause the doors 2 to belllillfltitll'lGCl in their opened positions. However, when the platform4? is relieved oil the weight of the vehicle, a contractile coil spring18, which hasbeen previonsly placed under tension by the openiijir, oi"the doors 2, will promptly act to draw the bell crank levers 16 to theirnormal positions, and by reason of such action, will iii"!- part pivotalmotion to the maerat-ing levers 13 in a direction oppositeto that firste:-:- plainod, and thus slide the doors 2 in opposite directions totheir respective closed positions.

It may be here noted that due to the provision of the levers 23, theseveral platforms 4; and t, when subjected to the weight ot a vehicle orother object arranged thereon, will be prevented from tilting withrelation to the adjacent portions of the housing 3, and also willprovide acomparatively substantial. support for the vehicle or otherobject thereon without effecting detrimental results to the remaininglovers of which the improved opening mechanism is comprised.

Manifestly, the construction shown is capable of considerablemodification, and

such modification; as is within the scope of my claims, I considerwithin the spirit of my invention,

I claim: i

1. In combination with the oppositely disposed slidable doors of abuilding, a hous ingmounted tlushly' with respect to the flooring ofsaid building, partly within and partly without the same, opposedvertically movable platforms arranged over theopen upper portions of thehousing, longitudinal levers mounted on the opposite sides of thehousing; pivotally connected-at their opposite ends to portions of saidplatfmrn'is and having their inner ends pivotally interconnectedvertical levers i'i'iounted transversely in the housing;- having,pivotal connection at their upper ends with said doors and their freeends arranged in horizontal planes in the path of movement of theinner-portions of said first levers, and spring means core 1 to saidtransverse lever, i. ii" normally aining the same in their inward poshmaint tions.

2. In combination with the oppositely disposed slidable doors of abuilding, a housing arranged tlushly with the flooring thereot, partlywithin and partly witl'iout the same, vertically movable flatformsarranged in the upper portion of said housing, means for limitingdownward movement of the platforms, longitudinal. levers mounted on theopposite sides of the housing and having pivotal connection at theiropposite ends With portions of the platforms, vertical levers mountedtransversly in the housing having the lower portions thereof bentlaterally and inwardly and disposed in the path of travel of the innerportions of said first levers, and means for normally main taining allof said levers in and returning the same to their initial positions.

In combination with the oppositely disposed slidable doors of abuilding, a housingarranged flushly with the flooring there of, partlyWithin and partly Without the same, vertically movable platformspositioned adj accnt the open upper portions of the housing, a bardisposed transversely of the housing bottom and arranged intermediatethe opposite end Walls of the same, having brackets on its oppositeends, vertical transversely movable levers pivoted to the brackets onthe opposite ends of said bar having pivotal connection at their upperends with the doors, the lower portions of said levers being bentinwardly and laterally, bell crank levers mounted in the housing havingpivotal connection With the adjacent ends of said inwardly and laterallybent portions of the vertical levers, spring means interconnecting saidbell crank levers, longitudinal levers mounted on the opposite sides ofthe housing having pivotal connection at their outer ends with adjacentportions of the platforms and their remaining ends pivotallyinterconnected and disposed for imparting motion to the inwardly andlaterally bent portions of the vertical levers adjacent thereto, andother levers mounted on the opposite sides of the housing having certainof their ends pivoted to said longitudinal levers and their remainingends pivoted to the inner portions of said platforms.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

PETER A. OSHANYK.

